Detective: Police certain that Hart City Council member drowned wife in bathtub

HART, MI -- Initially reported as an accidental drowning, investigators are quite certain that Hart City Council member Timothy Shannon is responsible for killing his wife by drowning her in the couple's bathtub on Dec. 29.

Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, was found dead in a bathtub in her home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in Hart.

This is Timothy and Lee-Ann Shannon's house on Courtland Street in Hart. Timothy has been charged with drowning Lee-Ann in a bathtub on Dec. 29.Heather Lynn Peters | MLive.com

Authorities said the incident was initially reported as an accidental drowning on the day of Shannon’s murder.

As the investigation unfolded, Oceana County Sheriff's Det. Shane Hasty said police became quite certain that Lee-Ann Shannon’s husband of six years, Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, 34, had allegedly drowned her in a bathtub.

Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon said the Hart Police Department called in the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the death once it began looking like a homicide, because the suspect is a Hart City Council member.

“I’m really grateful for the work of the Hart city police force and the Oceana County sheriff’s department for not letting this sift through the cracks,” Bizon said. “They did a wonderful job of investigating this. I just give them a lot of credit for doing a very professional job.”

The couple have a son and daughter, 3 and 4 years old. Hasty confirmed that the two children are under the care of their grandparents.